Trust
by Rosie Avocado
Summary: A visitor from Trance's past shows up aboard the Andromeda, bringing chaos and confusion in her wake.
1. Chapter One

Title: Trust  
  
Author: Rosie (aka Mistress of Darkness, MajandraSoLucky, RandomKrazePerson)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Category: Trance/Harper, kind of, mostly plot driven.  
  
Summary: Trance's sister, Tangent, arrives aboard the Andromeda, creating chaos and confusion. (How's that for alliteration?)  
  
Disclaimer: Belongs to Tribune Entertainment. Not me. *under breath* Darn.  
  
Spoilers: Harper 2.0  
  
***Chapter One***  
  
"Come on, Trance, what did she say to me?" Harper asked as his purple friend tried her hardest to contain her laughter. "You understood it, now tell me what she said!"  
  
"Harper, you should be able to understand basic French," she retorted. "I mean, Rommie still speaks it fluently after you upgraded her. ask her when we get back to the Andromeda."  
  
Trance picked up her glass of whatever cocktail it was she was drinking and had a nice long sip, before bursting into giggles once again. Harper rolled his eyes: Her Purpleness was definitely entertaining while slightly tipsy. Glancing across the bar again, he stole another glance at the tall, dark eyed human French girl that had, apparently, shot him down. Not that he'd actually understood a word she'd said - he'd looked at the body language and it didn't spell nice things for the Harper.  
  
"I'm not going to remember exactly what she said before tomorrow afternoon, Trance, even if I am a super genius," Harper informed her, picking up his glass of whisky and swirling it around. "What did she say?"  
  
"Alright, alright." Trance took a breath. "Which part do you want translated? "Je ne vous trouve pas attirant"; "Degagez"; or "Je suis bien toute seule, merci"?"  
  
"The whole lot."  
  
"Okay. she does not find you attractive, she wants you to get lost, and she's happy on her own, thankyou." Trance grinned again and looked over at the French girl. Harper followed her glance to see her flipping her hair and laughing loudly at some taller guys jokes.  
  
"She's happy on her own?" Harper gaped. "Then what's she doing with Mr. Muscle over there?"  
  
"Maybe it's her cousin," Trance suggested, just as French chick and "Mr. Muscle" kissed. "Or, um, not."  
  
Harper sighed. "Story of my life."  
  
"Oh cheer up, Harper!" the purple girl told him, finishing the last of her drink. "The night is young, and there are plenty of available girls in this place. You just have to look."  
  
Harper looked over to his friend and noticed just how nice the purple skin tight jumpsuit. thing she was wearing looked on her. Yeah, maybe I just have to look. but maybe I should look somewhere else than her cleavage or she might tell me to Degagez or whatever. "Believe me, I know how to look," he informed her.  
  
Trance scanned the room with her eyes. "What about that red-head over there? She seems nice." She looked a little further. "Or that brunette in the corner over there."  
  
"The red-head is taken, I asked," Harper said mournfully. "And that brunette. she was really shy, I didnt want to scare her off."  
  
"Is there any girl in this room you haven't already hit on?" Trance asked with a roll of her eyes. She looked over past Harper. and suddenly she froze, her smile replaced with an expression of shock and. fear?  
  
"What?" Harper asked her, turning to see what had scared Trance.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Harper turned back around to face Trance. "What happened? What did you see?"  
  
"Um, maybe we should go find somewhere to stay," Trance said, shaking ever so slightly. "We need to get out of here."  
  
***  
  
Trying to keep herself from shaking, Trance forced herself to tear her gaze away from the purple girl across the room and look at Harper. He looked worried.  
  
"What's going on, Trance?"  
  
"We need to go find somewhere to stay," she repeated slowly. "Do you want to go pay the tab? Here's some money." She emptied out the entire contents of her purse, trying to control her shaking hands. "I'll - I'll see you in a moment."  
  
Harper frowned, but took a few thrones and headed to the bar. Trance let out a breath, then tensed as she saw the girl across the room head towards her. Yes, it was who she thought it was.  
  
Her sister hadn't changed since Trance had last seen her - same purple skin, like herself, same long dark hair, same big black eyes. same mischievous grin. Tangent Gemini was a flirty, impulsive trouble maker - who liked nothing more than to meddle. And Trance hadn't seen her for five years.  
  
"Baby sister, it's good to see you," Tangent said in common, grinning her trademark smile as she approached. Trance had to admit, she looked good. The years hadn't had any effect on her - of course, a mere five years would have no effect on immortals, but she looked even more self-assured than she had five years ago. And that could mean trouble.  
  
"Tangent, what are you doing here?" Trance asked her. "What's the price on you head now?"  
  
Tangent's grin widened. "A good 50 million thrones," she said, inspecting her black nails. "I, personally, think I'm worth much more than that, however." She looked Tangent straight in the eye. "Seen their royal highnesses lately?"  
  
"Mom and Dad? Not recently."  
  
All of a sudden, Tangent's grin faded. "Well, they've caught word that the All Systems Library has files on us," Tangent said in a low voice. "And guess who they've traced involvement to."  
  
Trance's heart started thumping harder. "I. I tried to get it destroyed. it's hidden and no one is going to find it any time soon," she told her sister.  
  
"But someone's after it, right?" Tangent countered casually. "And after your little friend." Trance followed her sister's gaze to Harper, who was busy arguing with the bartender about the price. "Hmm, he's kind of cute."  
  
"He's not your type," Trance snapped. Tangent raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh come on, Trance, what kind of a discrimination is that?" Tangent mimicked her sisters tone. " 'Not your type' - geez. Possessive much?" She looked over at Harper again, eyes travelling up and down. "I can be whatever he wants me to be."  
  
Fighting to control her jealously, Trance sent her sister a challenging look. "Stay away from him."  
  
"Alright, alright, whatever," she said dismissively, waving a purple hand around. "Oh look, here he comes now." Harper headed towards them, a look of confusion on his face. Trance tensed up as Tangent winked at him and waved flirtatiously - then vanished into thin air. "I'll see you later," Tangents voice said in her head after she'd disappeared.  
  
"What was that all about?" Harper asked as he caught up to Trance. "And who was that?"  
  
"Who was what?" Trance asked, feigning innocence. She felt a headache coming on - this definitely wasn't over.  
  
It had only just begun. 


	2. Chapter Two

***Chapter Two***  
  
Staring at the wall, Trance tried to figure out exactly what her wayward sister was doing here. Dylan had sent Harper and Trance to pick up supplies, and gave them a weekend to themselves after they'd got the equipment. The Andromeda would pick them up tomorrow afternoon. So how did she know I was going to be here at this time, considering how short an amount of time I'm actually spending on this drift?  
  
Dumb question, she told herself as soon as she'd actually thought it. Of course she knew. She's got contacts everywhere and even if she didn't, she's got at least 50% more powers than you do. Besides, you've been in one place for ages - finding you would be a piece of cake. But why didn't she just come aboard Andromeda? The answer to that came almost immediately, too. She doesn't want to have to talk to the others. She wanted to talk to me alone, because she wanted to scare me.  
  
And oh had she succeeded. Trance shuddered involuntarily. Tangent Gemini looked as harmless as Trance herself, but Trance knew exactly what her older sister was capable of. Tangent was heir to the throne, but had no desire to take the position. No one else wanted her in power either. Their parents were always trying to get her back on track, but nothing ever worked. Tangent had been solely responsible for nearly every civil war in the past 500 years. The only thing that she wasn't directly linked to was the fall of the Commonwealth, and that was only because someone else got there first. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.  
  
Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped three feet in the air. Wide eyed, she whipped around to see Harper looking rather concerned.  
  
"Someone's jumpy," he commented.  
  
Trance smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired, and I'm not feeling too good, either."  
  
Harper frowned. "Then maybe you should get some rest."  
  
"No, I'm fine." Trance gave him a look. "Didn't you go get your important supplies?"  
  
He gave a sheepish smile, and then held up a crate of Sparky Cola. "Yeah, I got them." He jumped over the back of the couch and sat down next to Trance. "So what have you been doing?"  
  
"Not much."  
  
"Maybe we should have stayed in the bar, then," Harper said in a light tone. He's fishing for something. Trance thought. Something he's not going to get right now. but if I know my sister Harper will find out sooner or later.  
  
"Too crowded," she answered shortly, suddenly aware that Harper was right next to her, the fabric of his shirt touching her bare arm. She could feel the warmth of his arm through the shirt and felt it all the way down to her stomach. Kind of weird, but kind of. nice.  
  
***  
  
Looking over at the purple girl, Harper felt a rush of concern. Whatever she'd seen at the bar had obviously shaken her up, and it tore him apart that he couldn't do anything about it. He figured this was another Trance- ism that she wasn't going to talk to him about, but he wasn't just going to let it go. He'd never seen her scared. Every other time anything had happened, she had the air of a person who was slightly apprehensive, but had a card to play if absolutely necessary. A card she really didn't want to play but would if she had to.  
  
"Trance, about what happened at the bar-"  
  
"I was tired and didn't really feel like being in a room full of people anymore," she interrupted. She started to stand up, but Harper grabbed her arm.  
  
"No. Sit back down, okay?"  
  
Wordlessly, she did, a closed look on her face. Harper knew this wasn't going to get him anywhere, but the least he could do was try.  
  
"Okay, I get the whole secretive thing, right? I mean, you've always been secretive, it's just. a Trance thing, I guess. But whatever it is you're hiding never got you this spooked before, and I want to know what it is so I can help."  
  
"I'm fine, Harper, you don't have to worry," she began.  
  
"But I do. I do worry because. well, you're my sparkly purple babe." He awkwardly ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up in all directions. Shooting a glance at his friend, she looked a little less closed off. The trace of a grin was there, and she was blushing slightly. Maybe this will work after all. Taking a deep breath, he started again.  
  
"So, yeah, be secretive if you want. Don't tell me stuff about your planet of the purple people or whatever. Just. if it's gonna hurt you in any way I want to know about it so I can kick its sorry ass." He paused for a second. "I just don't like seeing you all upset because I really, really -"  
  
He stopped as he realised that Trance's head was resting on his shoulder. Harper looked down to see her eyes closed, breathing slow and regular. She'd fallen asleep.  
  
". care about you," he finished, smiling a bit. Gently, he moved her head off his shoulder and stood up. Picking her up, he carried her over to the bed, put her down and pulled off her shoes. She didn't stir at all. He pulled a blanket over her sleeping form. "Sweet dreams."  
  
***  
  
All around her was colour. Clashes of shades, violently swirling in a crazy vortex around her, purple skin insignificant in the mass of colour. Feeling sick to her stomach, Trance held out her hand and pushed . Immediately, a beam of white light shot of from her fingers and she followed it through to -  
  
- a small, elegantly decorated office, complete with big fern trees and a telephone, of all things. Those things hadn't been used for thousands of years.  
  
In the office chair sat a dark-haired purple figure in a business suit that could only be one person. She smiled her trademark grin.  
  
"So good of you to take time out of your busy schedule," Tangent mocked her sister.  
  
"What do you want?" Trance asked, arms folded, trying to hide her fear.  
  
"Ooh, trying to be intimidating - that's cute, that really is," said the dark-haired one with a smirk. "But it's time to get down to business." Instantly another chair materialized, and Trance sat down. Tangents smirk vanished and her expression turned icy. "Now. The All Systems Library."  
  
Trance fixed Tangent with a look. "The data is safe, no one can get it."  
  
"Except your little friend." When Trance didn't answer that, Tangent continued. "What's even more important is how did the data get found in the first place? How did anyone find out about us?"  
  
"Tangent, you know I would never -"  
  
"Well, it's kind of funny. Since you're supposed to be our emissary, and you'd be out and about more than the rest of us, that's the conclusion the High Council has made. And, well, you know the punishment for that, don't you?"  
  
Oh yes, she knew. In a word - death. Her immortality stripped of her, then killed.  
  
Tangent's grin returned. "I can smell your fear, you know. You should learn to hide that."  
  
Trance's head reeled. She didn't want to die. She hadn't even done anything. But what if I have? What if someone caught me and that's what ended up with the All Systems library..  
  
"Don't worry," Tangent purred. "Look, you let me hide out on that big star ship of yours for awhile, we forget about the 50 million on my head, we forget about the death sentence on your head and go for some good old fashioned sibling bonding. What do you say?"  
  
The answer was clear. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
The dark haired girl grinned. "I'll get packed and meet you at Docking Bay 12 tomorrow afternoon, around 1600 hours."  
  
As Tangent vanished and Trance drifted into a deeper sleep, she wondered exactly what she'd gotten herself into. 


	3. Chapter Three

***Chapter Three***  
  
He'd never noticed that Trance bit her fingernails. Standing at Docking Bay 12, waiting for Andromeda, Harper sent the occasional glance towards his lavender companion, who had her fingers in her mouth, chewing nervously. Oddly enough, the fact that he didn't notice that little fact irritated him. He barely knew anything about Trance, but he'd taken to collecting every tiny, useless piece of information, trying to make up for the fact that he knew nothing about who she was and where she came from. He knew which ones were her favourite plants (a pink lily named John), knew what her favourite food was (tomato omelette), knew what her favourite kind of music was (she had a particular liking for the sound of the violin), knew she liked cocktails (especially fruity flavoured ones) and even knew that she slept in light blue pyjamas. But he hadn't noticed that she bit her fingernails.  
  
"They're late," Trance said, fidgeting and looking around the crowd of people, all different species. "Do you think maybe they forgot to pick us up? Maybe they've got caught up somewhere or someone attacked them and they had to abandon ship except the Maru crashed and now they're all dead on some planet somewhere and -"  
  
"Relax, babe, Rommie's much too smart to let herself get killed over the two days we've been here," Harper assured her. "Besides, much as I hate to admit it, she can get by without me for more than two days, even if I am a super genius and my skills are greatly envied around the galaxy."  
  
"I don't know, Harper, that French girl at the bar didn't seem very impressed with your 'skills'," the purple girl answered, a smile working its way across her face. Harper couldn't help but smile back.  
  
"Aha, look, there's a Trance smile, just what I need this fine, uh, afternoon," he said. He put his arm around her playfully. "Now, why don't you tell Agony Aunt Harper what's troubling my purple princess, hmm?"  
  
Trance groaned, smiling in spite of herself. "Do you have any idea of how wrong that sounds?"  
  
He took his arm off her shoulder. "Well, now that I think about it, yeah, that is wrong... wait, I detect a classic Trance Gemini change of subject taking place here. Let's get to the point, shall we? You usually love shore missions. Heck, you've volunteered for nearly all of them. Then we go to that bar and all of a sudden you can't wait to get out and back to the Andromeda. Something's fishy about this, and I think you owe me an explanation."  
  
"Okay then," Trance said slowly. Harper blinked. That was it? He was going to get a straight answer from Trance Gemini? Her hand moved towards her mouth and he grabbed it by the wrist mid-way.  
  
"Enough with the nail-biting."  
  
"I... I just ran into someone I really didn't need to see right about now," she said in a rush. "An old... acquaintance."  
  
"Really Trance, I'd call us more than just acquaintances," came a voice from behind them. Trance went nearly white, and Harper turned to face whatever it was that had shaken her so badly, anger bubbling up inside him. He opened his mouth to speak then stopped as he got an eyeful of Trances 'acquaintance'.  
  
A humanoid. Dark brown wavy hair down to her shoulders. A low cut top and pants. Big, dark brown, nearly black eyes. A mischievous, but very seductive raspberry coloured smile. But what caught his attention was her luminous purple skin and long purple tail, moving slowly from side to side. She had Trance's nose, Trance's mouth, Trance's figure, and Trance's cheekbones... with some subtle differences. This girl seemed older than Trance, although he would have pegged them at roughly the same age, maybe a year or two difference. But one thing was for certain - she was definitely Trance's species.  
  
"Hi," the girl said, her smile in full force. Harper smiled hesitantly back.  
  
"Um, hi," he answered. She extended her hand, and Harper took it, noticing the long, manicured black nails, so different to Trance's, yet so alike.  
  
"Little sister, you didn't mention me to your friend here," she said, still not taking her eyes off Harper.  
  
"Must have slipped my mind," came Trance's icy tone, which brought Harper back to reality. This girl, no matter how gorgeous, was the reason Trance had freaked out at the bar. She could be dangerous. He'd met his share of dangerous women - even the most beautiful could have laser guns in their underwear, ready to strike when they got you 'alone'.  
  
"No harm done," the girl said cheerfully, and Harper suddenly backtracked on the conversation. Wait a minute... little sister?  
  
"Harper, this is my big sister, Tangent," Trance said coolly, her voice even. Harper looked over, and saw that she was using every muscle in her body to stop from shaking. This is some really odd family, and that's saying a lot - I've met Beka's brother.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you," said Tangent, smile still in place. "Trance, you never told me your friend was so handsome."  
  
Whoa. "Hey, they call me the love god, baby!" Harper joked, in disbelief. Trance's sister was flirting with him! This was just too unreal... and it wasn't in his nature to ignore come-ons from pretty girls.  
  
"I'm sure they do."  
  
"Tangent's going to stay with us aboard the Andromeda for awhile," Trance piped up. "If Dylan agrees, of course."  
  
"What? When were you planning on telling me this?" Harper interjected, staring at Trance. "Not that I mind, but..." What the hell is going on? You freak out when you meet your own sister in a bar; you freak out about for quite some time then you invite her on board? He suddenly realised that, in fact, he hadn't got a straight answer from Trance.  
  
He'd just gotten more questions.  
  
***  
  
"Let me get this straight - we have not just one, but two purple girls aboard this ship?" asked Tyr as the crew, minus Trance and her sister, stood in command. "Requesting permission to use an escape pod, and get out of here, Captain Hunt."  
  
"She seemed nice enough," Dylan answered thoughtfully. "Perhaps it will be good for Trance to have someone her own species around... I worry about her sometimes, she seems lonely."  
  
"Why would she be lonely?" Harper answered sharply. "She's got me - us, all of us."  
  
"Gemini," Rommie mused. "Ancient Earth astrology - Gemini meant "the twins". One of the twelve astrological signs. Therefore, it's perfectly logical that Trance should have a twin."  
  
"Actually, I think Tangent is older than Trance," Harper offered. "She called Trance her little sister."  
  
"Either way, she's perfectly welcome aboard Andromeda," Dylan said, shooting a pointed look at Tyr, who rolled his eyes and stalked out of the room. "Did Trance say how long her sister would be staying?"  
  
"Does Trance usually say anything about her family?" Beka answered.  
  
"Point taken."  
  
"I'm gonna go and stock up my Sparky," Harper told them all. "See you later."  
  
He left command and headed down the corridors to his quarters. It was only seconds later when he realised Tyr was by his side.  
  
"What's the full story behind this sister?" Tyr asked Harper sharply. "There's something odd about her and I want to know what it is."  
  
"Wish I could tell you, but the only thing different about her was that she found me very attractive, not that there's anything odd about that, it's just that it takes a very special kind of woman to recognize the full advantages and talents of the Harper -"  
  
"Maintain concentration, boy!" Tyr snapped. "Was there anything else?"  
  
Harper frowned. "Unless you count the fact that Trance is terrified of her, there isn't really much to go by, but I know what you mean - there's something really weird about Tangent."  
  
"You're saying that the purple one is afraid of one of her kind? One who shares her DNA?"  
  
"If purple pixies even have DNA."  
  
It was Tyrs turn to frown. "Trance may be an annoying, energetic little purple... thing, but she does not scare easily. That is to her credit." He paused. "We should keep an eye on this Tangent."  
  
"I'll definitely keep an eye on her," Harper offered. Tyr shot him a look.  
  
"Just keep your eyes where they should be looking." 


	4. Chapter Four

***Chapter Four***  
  
As her avatar form walked down the corridors, Andromeda monitored Tangent Gemini closely in the guest quarters she was staying in. The brunette purple girl was unpacking a medium sized black backpack and putting them in drawers. It seemed harmless enough, but Rommie had insisted that Andromeda keep a close eye on Trance's sister. Andromeda couldn't read any life signs on this newcomer, but that didn't disturb her, as she couldn't read life signs on Trance, either. It was simply one of those things she had to accept about Trance, and since Tangent was Trance's sister, the fact that she had no life signs was completely logical.  
  
No, what disturbed both ship and avatar of the Andromeda Ascendant was the fact that Trance seemed apprehensive of her own sibling. Rommie had long ago concluded that Trance Gemini, as seemingly innocent and naïve is she looked, was a force to be reckoned with. Shrouded in mystery, the young humanoid with the lavender complexion, and long flexible tail was the most opaque crew member aboard - and Andromeda suspected that if she didn't feel that being aboard suited her, she could disappear without a trace at any given moment. All that taken into perspective, there was very little reason for Trance to be afraid of anything. And she rarely ever was - until her sister showed up.  
  
What powers did the older girl have that caused her sister to view her with such fear? Trance had clearly demonstrated abilities that boggled Andromeda's - highly advanced - mind. Such things were impossible - coming back from the dead with no apparent side effects, guessing correctly one planet among hundreds and many other 'lucky guesses' that had gotten Andromeda and her crew out of many a tight spot. A creature with this magnitude of power wouldn't be frightened of anything unless there was a very good reason - and Andromeda had no desire to be the target of whatever power Tangent Gemini possessed to scare her sister so badly.  
  
Andromeda looked back into Tangent's quarters. She was sitting on the bed, bouncing ever so slightly, testing out the mattress. She smiled, crossed the room and sat down by a mirror and dressing table. Viewing her reflection, Tangent tucked a loose brown strand of hair behind her ear and scrunched up her nose. Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out a small, dark cylinder shaped object - a tube of lipstick - and reapplied her makeup. Mid- way, she stopped, and turning around, looked directly towards the control panel where Andromeda was watching from. Andromeda watched the girl closely, struck by how alike Tangent and Trance looked, and also struck by the fact that they also looked so different - while Trance's features were warm and friendly, Tangent's were cold and regal. Andromeda had seen many dignitaries bearing that very look - a look of power.  
  
Clicking off the control panel hologram in Tangent's quarters, Andromeda's holographic form looked out onto Observation Deck, musing about her new 'guest'. She'd keep a close eye on that one. A very very close eye. But what could she do if Tangent decided she wanted to cause trouble? How could Andromeda defend herself - and her crew - against a potential enemy whose species could apparently come back from the dead?  
  
***  
  
Almost immediately after Trance had shown Tangent to her quarters, she headed off to Hydroponics. The place had always been her solace, and now was a time she desperately needed it. As she stepped in, she could feel herself relax. Perhaps it was the extra oxygen the plants produced, but Trance always felt much more relaxed the minute she set foot into the Hydroponics Bay. Almost immediately, she caught sight of a reddy-orange rhododendron. She rushed over to it, and set about watering the poor creature, whose leaves were most definitely starting to show signs of ill health.  
  
"Oh you poor baby, I'm sorry, I've just been away for a few days," Trance murmured to the plant as she trimmed off dead leaves. "I promise I'll remember to check you before I leave next time, okay?"  
  
She kept working, going from plant to plant, trying to keep herself suitably distracted. But the memory of Tangent practically drooling at the sight of Harper, and Harper lapping it all up kept placing on an endless loop around her head.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you. Trance, you never told me your friend was so handsome."  
  
"Hey, they call me the love god, baby!"  
  
"I'm sure they do."  
  
Yuck. Super disgusting. Tangent had always been a major flirt, and usually Trance didn't mind, but it bothered her to see her sister all over her best friend. Harper deserved better than Tangent. Tangent used guys like handkerchiefs, and the last thing Trance wanted to see was Harper getting hurt. Especially since Tangent didn't just use them then leave them alone - she usually wanted something from them. Trance didn't even want to begin to think what her sister wanted from Harper.  
  
"Trance?"  
  
She turned around to see Harper standing in the doorway of Hydroponics. A rush of jealousy flooded through her as the image of Tangent flirting with Harper started to play in her head yet again.  
  
"What?" She knew she sounded harsh, but she was mad. How dare he flirt back? Especially with her own sister! You're being irrational, Trance, he has no idea how you feel about him because you're too scared to tell him.  
  
"Are you showing up for dinner anytime soon? Everyone's already in the mess."  
  
Trance slapped herself on the forehead. "I completely lost track of time, I'll just go wash my hands -" She stopped herself as she realised exactly who 'everyone' entailed. "Actually, I'll get something later; I've got a lot of work to do in here."  
  
Harper frowned and crossed his arms, looking her straight in the eye. "You don't like her very much, do you?"  
  
"Don't like who?"  
  
"Your sister. Tangent Gemini, ring a bell?"  
  
Trance shifted uncomfortably. She didn't particularly want to have to explain the workings of her family to Harper. She didn't want to tell him anything. Her official title may be 'Emissary for the High Council', but Trance's main motivation for taking the role was to get as far away from her family as possible. It was bad enough Tangent had caught up with her, and with the apparent news that the Council now had a death sentence on her own head, the less the crew of the Andromeda knew, the better.  
  
"We just. never really got along. Sibling rivalry, that sort of thing."  
  
Harper's frown deepened. "I know you, Trance. You might not be very happy about it, you might not want me to know a lot about you, but I know you - the person. You weren't angry or annoyed when Tangent showed up. You were terrified. And I have never seen you that scared. Hell, I've never really seen you very scared at all. Whenever something happens - we're getting shot at, we're hiding out inside a sun, we're back in time blowing up Nietzscheans or whatever - you seem more worried about everyone else apart from you. You act like you've got some kind of. magic wand that can make everything better if things get really, really bad. You're always talking about your 'perfect possible future'. But when your own sister shows up, it's the first time you're really scared. And I want to know why."  
  
Magic wand. you really have no idea how close you are to the truth, Seamus Zelazney Harper.  
  
He took a few steps closer to her, and Trance instinctively took two back. She knew that if she let him touch her that was it. She would spill everything.  
  
"Look, like I said before, I don't need to hear everything. Maybe there are some things I don't want to know," he continued, running his hands through his hair. "But aren't you supposed to be my best friend? And don't best friends trust each other?"  
  
Trance held herself straight. She could feel her resolve start to melt. It would be so much easier to explain everything to him - then at least she'd have someone to talk to about it. Someone to confide in. Harper. he wouldn't judge her, would he? He wouldn't treat her any different if he knew the truth?  
  
"All outsiders are the same, Trance; they can't comprehend why we do the things we do. They don't understand. They never will, and if you try to explain, it will just cause them to hate you for it. They'll be bound to the secret forever, and they might like being in the know at first. But when the hunting begins - that's when they start to hate you for it. And one thing outsiders do well is hate."  
  
Her mother's words ringing through her mind, Trance felt steely determination course its way through her veins. No, he'd judge her. She couldn't take it if he hated her, couldn't cope without her best friend. And the last thing she wanted was to put Harper in danger.  
  
"There are some things best friends don't even know," Trance said in a strong tone. He took another step closer and she forced herself to stand her ground. "But I wouldn't know - I've never had a best friend before."  
  
The door opened, and a familiar figure walked through, tail swinging from side to side in that flirtatious manner of hers. Harper turned to face the newcomer, and Tangent smiled, completely ignoring Trance.  
  
"Harper, your food's getting cold," Tangent said with a pout. "Come back and eat."  
  
Harper gave Trance a look, and then wordlessly followed Tangent out the door. Before she left, Tangent looked Trance straight in the eye, and smiled.  
  
'Hmm, I quite like your little friend, he could turn out to be a lot of fun,' Tangent's voice resounded in Trance's head.  
  
'Watch your step, Tangent,' Trance retorted, feeling suddenly cold.  
  
'What did I tell you about idle threats, baby sister?' she answered mockingly as she walked out the door and it closed behind them, leaving Trance alone in Hydroponics. 


	5. Chapter Five

***Chapter Five***  
  
Standing on command deck, watching empty space flow by, Captain Dylan Hunt had a lot on his mind. Mainly in relation to the Gemini sisters. He'd never known exactly what to make of Trance, and had hoped that her sister's presence would clear up some of the mystery surrounding his youngest crewmember. If she was in fact the youngest. Trance had the physical appearance of around 19, but there was no way of really knowing, as the girl herself offered no real age. She had what Rev described as an old soul, and Dylan sometimes couldn't help but wonder if Trance had seen many hundreds of years, if that was the key to her staggering insightfulness.  
  
Tangent, however. Trance's absence at dinner hadn't gone unnoticed, and Tangent's insistence that she go get Harper before his dinner went cold after he went to go check on Trance was definitely odd. The newcomer's apparent interest in Harper seemed to be wrecking havoc on the special bond between the blonde purple girl and the young engineer. And Tangent herself was as much of an enigma as Trance. but more. Trance always had good intentions, but he wasn't a hundred percent convinced about the intentions of the brunette alien.  
  
"Rommie?"  
  
"Yes Dylan?"  
  
"Where exactly is our guest at this moment?"  
  
The captain watched as the ships avatar momentarily closed her eyes, and then seconds later came back with an answer.  
  
"In her guest quarters."  
  
Rommie's expression immediately gave away her opinion of Trance's sister. Dylan trusted Andromeda's perception and relied on it heavily, but even she couldn't figure out exactly what the two Gemini sisters.  
  
Rommie moved closer to Dylan and cleared her throat. Dylan couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Yes, Rommie?"  
  
"I was wondering. why exactly did you let Tangent aboard?" Dylan looked over at the android, who folded her arms and waited for a response.  
  
"Because she's Trance's sister."  
  
"Well, that's all well and good, but are you sure it's safe?"  
  
"What do you mean, Rommie?"  
  
Andromeda's holographic form clicked into existence. "What she means is that Trance has the power to come back from the dead and yet she's scared of her sister."  
  
The computer panel image of Andromeda's AI popped up on screen and added in her contribution to the conversation. "She's picked the best outcome out of several thousands of possibilities, pinpointed your exact location when we needed to rescue you at least twice and has obvious precognitive abilities - therefore it's logical that her sister also possesses these. talents, plus the ones she's keeping hidden from us."  
  
"Since Trance is afraid of Tangent's power, that would imply that Tangent's powers are stronger," continued the Holographic form of Andromeda.  
  
"And what we're really trying to point out here is that if they can come back from the dead, we have no real way to defend ourselves if Tangent decides she's, how can I put this, worn out her welcome?" concluded Rommie.  
  
Dylan paused for a moment. "Wow, uh, that puts a whole new meaning to the term 'three-way calling'." He'd never really thought about the situation that way before. But Rommie had, as always, picked up on all the details to come up with a theory that made total sense, once again.  
  
"Do you really think Trance's sister is dangerous?" Dylan asked his ship.  
  
"Yes," replied the avatar, brown eyes grim. "I would recommend we find out how long she intends to stay, why exactly she's here to stay and when we can drop her off somewhere as soon as possible."  
  
"In that case, shouldn't we get rid of Trance, as well?" said the computer screen version of Andromeda. "I'm sorry, Dylan, but the only reason Tangent is here is because of Trance. If we got rid of both of them, it would be our safest move."  
  
"I am not letting you get rid of Trance," Rommie cut in, glaring at her computer self. "She's the only medic aboard this ship, we need her. She keeps Hydroponics Bay up and running and we wouldn't still be in one piece right now if it wasn't for her 'lucky guesses'."  
  
"Agreed," said Dylan. "Trance stays."  
  
"Besides, exiling them both might anger them," added Holo-Rommie. "They might seek us out later and destroy us. I don't want to be on their bad side."  
  
Dylan chuckled. "I can't quite believe we're talking about the same person here - Trance seeking us out and destroying us? The most violent act I've ever seen her do is snip branches off her bonsai tree with a set of hedge clippers - hardly the making of a homicidal maniac."  
  
"Appearances can be deceiving, Dylan," warned Rommie. "Take me, for instance. I look like an ordinary human woman, but if I felt like it I could rip off your head with my bare hands, rip off the skin and play basketball with your skull."  
  
He made a face. "That's comforting, Rommie, it really is."  
  
"What my avatar is trying to point out is that she possesses great strength, even though it isn't outwardly obvious," said the computer screen. "The same applies to Trance. This is why I still think we should get rid of them."  
  
"Trance is staying aboard for as long as she likes," Dylan confirmed. "Tangent, however."  
  
"I'd suggest that we keep her in the brig," Computer Rommie said caustically.  
  
"You know I can't do that unless necessary," he said. "Andromeda, don't allow privacy mode in any room Tangent is in. I want you to keep an eye on her at all times. That is a direct order."  
  
"Aye captain."  
  
***  
  
Tangent's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed, chewing on her bottom lip. Her little trip to command in her sleep had told her exactly what she needed to know. The ship was definitely not on her side, and unable to be persuaded. But its humanoid avatar had a soft spot for her sister, and that could be used to her advantage.  
  
And the Captain. the legendary Dylan Hunt. All over the galaxy people had been hearing about him, the Andromeda and their 'gallant quest' to restore the commonwealth, but Tangent had had to laugh when she realised that her sister was aboard the ship as a crew member. Just like Trance. Always trying to spread good, and the Commonwealth was definitely what people needed. A part of her was completely nauseated by the idea, but she had bigger fish to fry than destroying the new Commonwealth. It would be too easy - held together by such a tiny crew, driven entirely by blind idealism. yeah, it was no wonder Trance had joined up - she was completely into this sort of thing.  
  
Dylan wasn't exactly Tangent's biggest fan, obviously. But he had underestimated both her and her sister, when the ship had not. Tangent narrowed her eyes. If it weren't for that smarmy A.I. the Captain would still be in the dark. A small hitch, but nothing serious. She could always erase the computers persona, but that would take too long. Tangent was many things, but not an engineer.  
  
Harper, on the other hand, was an excellent engineer, apparently. And Tangent knew that it wouldn't be hard to have him wrapped around her little finger in no time. Any loyalties he had to her sister would soon fade - all Tangent had to do was tell Harper about their past. Trance never said anything about it, with good reason - anyone who learnt about the Gemini' would be sought after, then killed. If Tangent told Harper, he'd realise that Trance never told him anything, but her sister told him everything. That should sufficiently destroy the bond between the two. And when the High Council came to dispose of Harper - well, they could have him, if Tangent was finished with him. Trance might not very happy, but she'd have to learn to deal.  
  
And in the long run, she'd be doing Trance a favour. The Gemini' lived forever. Tangent wasn't stupid - she could see how much her sister cared about the short, fast-talking blond engineer. Sooner or later he would die, and Trance wouldn't, and she'd live for centuries without him. If she got attached. well, it would hurt her. It would definitely hurt her to have him gone.  
  
Tangent smiled sadly. She sometimes wished she'd allowed herself to get attached. Any idiot could see that Harper returned the feeling. But Tangent had never had time for that. She didn't need it, and it would only make her weaker.  
  
And that was one thing she never wanted to be. Weak. 


	6. Chapter Six

***Chapter Six***  
  
Dylan hadn't expected Tangent's visit to last very long, but after a fortnight Trance realised that her sister would be staying for as long as she could get away with. Or at least until she had finished what she came to do, whatever that turned out to be. And the purple one had a sneaking suspicion that what her sister was after was a certain self-proclaimed 'freaking genius'. Working steadfastly away in Hydroponics, Trance let her thoughts wander to those of a less than pleasant nature.  
  
It was getting rather sickening to watch Tangent throw herself at the apparently clueless engineer. For someone who unsuccessfully chatted up nearly every available girl he came across, Harper was treating Tangent's blatantly obvious interest with polite indifference. Trance couldn't quite understand it, but a tiny, smug little voice in her head said it was because Harper would much rather have Trance than her curvy, seductive older sister. But that didn't make sense, either, because Tangent was so pretty and sexy and all and Trance was just. cute. Yeah, that was it. And a lot of people didn't like "cute".  
  
But Harper never seemed to mind cute , the little voice in her head retorted.  
  
Well, too bad, Trance reasoned with herself. She and Harper. it could never work out. To him she was just his sparkly purple babe, and he had two sparkly purple babes on his hands at the moment, that had to be more than a bit overwhelming. Besides, they were friends. Best friends. And what kind of person is stupid enough to jeopardize a friendship by taking it somewhere it was never meant to be?  
  
Looking at the beautiful orange rhododendron, Trance sighed wistfully. "It must so easy to be you. You don't have to do anything. You just have to stand around and look pretty. You don't have anything to worry about except getting enough water, and you don't even worry, do you?"  
  
"That's because plants aren't sentient," came a low male voice from behind her. She recognized it immediately, and turned to face the tall, broody Nietzschean.  
  
"It isn't nice to sneak up on people," Trance told Tyr in an annoyed tone. What was he doing here? Tyr didn't usually spend time appreciated the true beauty of Hydroponics - maybe he and Dylan were set to play basketball or something.  
  
"And talking to yourself is the first sign of mental instability." Tyr walked towards her, a slight smile on his face. He looked at the rhododendron, then at Trance.  
  
"Maybe so, but it still isn't nice to sneak up on people." Trance shuffled uncomfortably. At best, Tyr Anasazi completely ignored her. At worst, he yelled at her. "What do you want, Tyr?"  
  
"Just to satisfy my curiosity," he said lightly. "I want to know what your sister is still doing aboard this ship."  
  
Trance clipped an errant branch on the next plant over. "You tell me and we'll both know," she said evenly, borrowing an expression Harper used frequently. She inwardly cringed and felt like bashing herself on the head. No, no, no. Now is not the time to be thinking about Harper and Tangent.  
  
Tyr positioned himself directly in front of her. "You're her sister, and you're also a much better guesser than I am. Take a guess."  
  
Looking directly at him, she replied. "Tyr, I don't know exactly what she's up to, I just know it has something to do with. stuff I don't want to talk about." She cringed again. Damn. Why couldn't I have just lied? The Nietzschean frowned, and Trance knew he was going to press the point.  
  
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is, in this case, survival," Tyr said harshly. "If we are to survive, we need to know exactly what your sister is doing here."  
  
Eyes darting nervously, Trance thought quickly. The easiest thing to tell him was selected parts of the truth. "She has a price on her head. 50 million thrones."  
  
Tyr raised an eyebrow. "What did she do?"  
  
"What didn't she do?"  
  
Tyr took two steps to stand at Trance's side. "I'm assuming our benevolent commander hasn't a clue that he's taken on board a criminal."  
  
The purple one shook her head, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Tyr's eyes were back on her face, harshly accusing in that one breath.  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"There's something else, what is it?"  
  
She sighed deeper again this time, and realised it was more than time to get this off her chest. "There's a price on my head, too."  
  
Something in her tone obviously made the Nietzschean take notice. "How much?"  
  
"A death sentence."  
  
It was practically impossible to gauge the taller mans reaction. He stood there impassively for a few moments, before asking. "What did you do?"  
  
"You remember the database that Harper got downloaded into his brain from the All Systems University?" Trance began hesitantly. Tyr nodded. "Well, just before we deleted it, Harper said something to me in my native language."  
  
"Which means the All Systems University has files on your people," Tyr concluded. "So? It has files on all species."  
  
"The point is we've gone for thousands of years without being found out and now we have," she continued. "Apparently, the entire planet is in uproar. Someone has to pay for it and -"  
  
"Since you were there aboard the ship when Harper discovered the information, you're the scapegoat," Tyr finished for her. "Did you give the information to the library?"  
  
"No, but I could have done it accidentally -"  
  
"So could any of you species," Tyr interrupted. "Who told you this? Your sister or your people?"  
  
Trance swallowed nervously. "I didn't know about any of this until she told me -"  
  
"How do you know she's telling the truth?" At Trance's immediate silence, he continued. "I think I figured this out - she wants to stay aboard the Andromeda to protect herself from whoever is after her, and she's blackmailed you into letting her with this rather, how do I put this, ominous piece of information. You immediately believed her?"  
  
"Tyr, you don't know my sister. You don't know what she's capable of," Trance protested. "She's done some really, really bad things."  
  
He actually laughed at that. "Little girl, I've seen people tortured. I've seen the aftermath of Magog attacks. I've survived Magog attacks. I killed my first opponent at the age of twelve. I've seen my fill of 'really, really bad things'. What makes you think that whatever your sister did would come anywhere near that?"  
  
She was flooded with a rush of scorn. Tyr had no idea what she and Tangent were capable of. He might think the purple girls were harmless, but she knew better. Trance had lived for 3,562 years. She may still be young in the eyes of the Council, but to her eyes, Tyr was even younger. She had seen things in her lifetime that would make even Tyr afraid. Trance herself was no stranger to murder, although she wouldn't do it unless it was completely necessary. She had seen the fall of the Commonwealth with her own two eyes. She was there when the Nietzscheans planned revolt. She was even there when the first Nietzschean was engineered. Tyr might think highly of his superior genetic makeup, but that was trivial compared with what the Gemini had seen. Nietzscheans were no better than the rest of the universe - all mere mortals. Pitiful. Weak.  
  
"Nietzscheans are all about survival, right?" Trance asked quietly.  
  
Tyr blinked, obviously not anticipating that response. "Yes."  
  
"And survival is, naturally, in your best interest."  
  
Now he was beginning to look more than a little uncomfortable. "Naturally."  
  
Trance looked him square in the eye, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the galaxies she had travelled over the course of her life in her deep brown irises. "Then it would be in your best interest not to underestimate us."  
  
Putting down her clippers, Trance turned and headed to her quarters, leaving a perplexed and slightly unnerved Nietzschean behind her. 


End file.
